


The Magic in a Year

by Sans_Virtuosity



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
Genre: Budding Love, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, I just love the Wizard so much it's physically painful, I still wish I could ask him about himself when it comes to the crystal ball thing, Not Beta Read, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, but yeah the fic, crystal ball shenanigans, help me, how subtle would THAT be, unedited, why are HM tags so freakin' disorganized, why don't we have common tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 09:23:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6512608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sans_Virtuosity/pseuds/Sans_Virtuosity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a year of Friendship, Hikari and the local Wizard celebrate with a night of stargazing, coffee, and a peek into their future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Magic in a Year

**Author's Note:**

> The Wizard is my absolute favorite bachelor in the entire series, and I'm honestly surprised I haven't written more of him. I might have to fix that soon.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy! And as always, thanks for reading!

* * *

 

 

In Harmonica Town, there lived a Wizard.

To the villagers, he was a fortune-teller who always seemed to know when it would rain.

To the Harvest Goddess, he was a powerful sorcerer whose loneliness over the years had dulled his strength.

To the Witch who lived in the swamp in the woods, he was a rival.

But he was so much more than that.

To her, he was the best friend a person could ask for.

When Hikari first came to Harmonica Town with nothing more than a dream in her pocket, they had been thrown together by fate, his powers necessary in helping her restore the life to the land. Without him, she never could have coaxed life out of the small plot of land that bordered her farmhouse.

Their interactions didn't stop at Harvest Goddess-sanctioned business, however. Hikari found herself drawn to the soft-spoken man and his quiet hobbies. She often visited him in the evenings after a hard day of tilling the fields. His calm nature relaxed her, and she began bringing him gifts of homegrown coffee beans in exchange for stories and quiet nights under the stars.

Over the months, they became thick as thieves, the Wizard even going so far as to accompany Hikari to festivals and joining her in the restaurant some nights for dinner. It was the most the town had seen of him in years. The villagers began stopping by to see him, often asking after Hikari or having their fortunes told as an excuse. But really, they just wanted to know what could have drawn Hikari in so completely, what they could possibly have missed about the quiet coffee-drinking man with more books than they could count.

But it was those very eccentricities that captivated her from the start. The villagers didn't understand, and she doubted they ever truly would. But that was fine. He was happy to have her, and she was happy that he was happy.

 

* * *

 

 

Hikari hoisted the small telescope bag up higher onto her back, and the Wizard hovered close by, hands ready to catch the bundle if it fell. She shot him a dirty look for worrying, and he sighed and relented, his hands dropping back to his sides. He had been working on it for weeks, hand-grinding glass for the optics and carving the tubing himself to ensure it would be the best quality a portable telescope could ever hope to be.

He didn't build it for himself, though. He presented the gift to Hikari just a few hours earlier, to celebrate a year of their friendship. Naturally, they rushed out to test it the moment the sun went down, bundling it up in an old folding-chair bag and taking it down to the square outside the church. There, they'd spent a good portion of the night seeing how many celestial objects they could find without the aid of a star chart, packing up only when the first hints of sunlight tinged the edge of the sky pink.

Feeling guilty for distracting Hikari the entire night, fully knowing she had farm work in the morning, he invited her over for coffee at his house before setting off for a no-doubt exhausting day. She agreed without hesitation, and together they packed up the telescope and made their way down the road to the Wizard's house, him hovering like a mother hen to ensure nothing happened to his darling creation.

“Are you sure... about coffee?” the Wizard asked, making a visible effort not to look at the telescope bag on Hikari's back. “You should nap. Even an hour is better than nothing.”

Hikari threw him a half-smile that downplayed how tired she really was. She knew what she was getting into from the moment the Wizard presented her with the beautiful telescope when she stopped by for her nightly chat. And he was practically glowing with happiness, his eyes crinkled with mirth and his voice soft but steady. When she'd first met him, his voice wavered with disuse, and it took him much longer to collect his thoughts. She wondered if he noticed how much he'd changed.

“Hikari?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Ah- Yeah, of course I'm up for coffee. I mean, a nap would be nice, too. But I feel like it would just make me feel worse in the end.” she saw his gaze fall to the ground in front of him, and she quickly rushed to bring back his smile. “But hey, it could be worse. Goddess, what if it were a festival day today.”

He chuckled and nodded gravely. “Even I... wouldn't be able to stay awake, I think.”

“We'd end up in the local paper, pictures of us both asleep on a bench gracing the front page.”

 

* * *

 

They rounded the corner to the Wizard's house, and he swung the door open for her without preamble, following her in closely to make sure the telescope didn't hit the door frame on the way in. He flicked the lights on with a casual wave of his hand.

“You know, you really should start locking your doors at night.” Hikari said, letting him take the telescope from her and place it carefully beside his work-desk. “You've been robbed before.”

He just shrugged and began measuring coffee grounds, pouring them from one odd-shaped beaker to another until finally putting them into an absurdly normal, modern coffee maker; a gift from Hikari. “I don't really... have anything worth stealing.”

“Aside from your priceless crystal ball and your two-million-gold telescope, you mean.” she scoffed, and took a seat at his divination table, scooting the piles of cards and strips of paper out of the way but leaving the aforementioned crystal ball. The incident with Jake was still fresh in her mind, and the thought of someone with even darker motives getting hold of it made her uneasy.

“I could leave it at your house, then.” Wizard clicked on the coffee maker and gathered up all of the junk that was cluttering the divination table off the floor and plopped it onto his work-desk, uncaring that it covered up whatever he was actually working on. “If it wasn't here... everyone would stop coming by to have their fortunes read.”

“I thought you didn't mind it?”

He shrugged, and rummaged around his cabinets for clean mugs. Without looking back at her, he said, “I don't mind it. But it gets... lonely.”

When he didn't elaborate, Hikari leaned back in her chair and played with the frayed edges of the tablecloth. Eventually, he found the mugs he was looking for, and right as he put them down on his desk the coffee maker's light clicked off, signaling it was ready. He filled the mugs in silence and placed them at their places on the divination table and grabbed the sugar from its hiding spot. Only once everything was properly laid out, and Hikari started pouring sugar into her drink, did he finally sit down.

After a few moments of quiet appreciation for the brew, Hikari finally cleared her throat and pressed, “You said it was lonely. But wouldn't it be worse if no one came at all?”

The Wizard drew his brows together and stared into the mug, as though he could scry the proper response in the reflection of the coffee. “I would just like them to... come for me, and not my powers. It's always just shallow questions about their own lives... and then they leave.”

“Ah.”

“Maybe you have made me... selfish.” he lifted his gaze up to meet hers, “You never once asked me to divine your future. But you kept coming anyway.”

Hikari nodded and sipped on her coffee, savoring the heat from the drink and the latent embarrassment from his words that tinged her cheeks pink.

After a thoughtful pause, she said, “It's because you make such great coffee.”

“You never had it... until recently.”

“And you tell amazing stories. And you know so many obscure facts. And,” she laughed nervously. “I just really like talking with you.”

The Wizard _hmm_ 'd with pleasure and smiled into his mug.

“I think the others are just really nervous when they try and talk to you,” she said, suddenly serious. “I needed your help when I first met you, so I opened up right away, but everyone else – they're trying to connect the only way they know they can; through your fortune-telling.”

He cocked his head to the side, “They're just... genuinely interested in it?”

“Interested in you. And since the fortune-telling is something you do, interested in it by association.”

“Ah, I understand.” he tapped a finger to his chin, and finished off his coffee with a few swift gulps. He reached behind him and placed the mug on his work-desk. He turned back around and spread his hands out on the table before him. “Did you want to try it?”

“The fortune-telling?” Hikari asked, her eyebrow quirking up in genuine curiosity.

“Yeah. Maybe we can... connect this way, too.”

She nodded and finished off her coffee as quickly as she could, and then passed him the mug which he put with the other one. Between the coffee and the building excitement, she was starting to feel fully awake again. “Alright. It _is_ our friendship anniversary, after all. What do I need to do?”

He reached out across the table and held out both his hands to her, and she took them without hesitation. A sheepish smile spread across his lips, and he threaded his fingers through hers. It wasn't necessary, but he wanted to feel the press of her palms against his. It was a small comfort against anything painful he might see when he looks into her future. Just thinking of the man who would someday marry her and take her from him sent cold shivers of fear down his spine. Goddess forbid he saw any _actual_ tragedy in her future.

“Just breathe.” he said, voice low and calm, as much for her as himself. He wouldn't be able to scry accurately if his emotions were not in check. “Now, what is it... you wish to see?”

Hikari breathed deeply, trying not to let herself get distracted by the contrast of the dim calm of the table and the creeping brightness coming through the windows. She answered honestly, “I don't really know what I should ask.”

“Most people ask... about the weather. Or their love lives. But there is so much more... the future is a large place.”

“Then,” Hikari swallowed thickly. “can I see where I'll be a year from now? How my farm will look?”

The Wizard chuckled softly and closed his eyes. Hikari followed suit. He gave her hands a soft squeeze, and behind closed lids, Hikari thought she could see a shimmer of light.

The light expanded, and spread across her field of vision. If it weren't for the Wizard's steady hands on hers, she might have panicked at the strangeness of it.

The light shifted, and twisted, and she could hear the Wizard huff a laugh. Her mind's eye began to focus, and she started to make out the edges of buildings. Eventually, her farmland came fully into view, as though she were standing right outside her water pump. She gasped, and heard the Wizard laugh again, though she couldn't see him anywhere.

It was utterly magnificent. The buildings had been rebuilt, and repainted. They were huge. Someone had clearly put a lot of time and love into them. _She_ had put a lot of love into them. And the _fields_. Rows upon rows of produce, and a tiny personal orchard. A section of her main field was sporting a sizable patch of flowing grasses, and it made her want to lie down in it. It was more than she could have ever dreamed.

“Do you see this?” she asked breathlessly, not wholly expecting an answer.

“I do.”

“Can we look inside?” she asked, noting she had no control over her own vantage point. If she had to guess, it was all up to the Wizard.

Without an answer, the scene shifted, and she was standing inside of the barn, surrounded by animals. Cows, sheep, even _ostriches_. They didn't seem to notice her, however. The whole place was so different, and she was absolutely in love with it. She gaped at the machinery and the well-stocked stores of feed. The scene shifted again, and it was the same with the bird shed.

“This is only a year from now?” she asked, awestruck.

The Wizard felt her giddy happiness through their connection, and it made his heart flutter. “So it appears. Though I can't tell... the exact date.”

The scene shifted once again, and Hikari found herself in her house. It had also been expanded considerably, boasting new rooms and a huge kitchen. The telescope the Wizard gave her was proudly standing in the corner on its tripod.

But Hikari also noted a few new things. _Odd_ things. Things she did absolutely NOT expect.

Two umbrellas by the door. Men's clothing hung up beside her own. What looked to be a wedding photo by her bedside, though the subjects couldn't be made out from where she was 'standing'. Hikari couldn't believe her eyes.

“I'm married?” she croaked. “How? To who?”

Silence came the reply, but the scene shifted a few times in rapid succession, and it made Hikari vaguely dizzy. It stopped for a moment, and she could make out the Wizard sitting at her dining table, she and him having a late-night coffee.

“There I am.” he whispered, relief in his voice. “Nothing unusual there.”

He would have stopped there, too overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was still a part of her life even after she married, but Hikari needed to know who she was spending her life with. So be it.

The scene shifted a few more times, and it stopped with the introduction of a new piece of furniture. A wooden cradle. Hikari could swear she could feel the Wizard's confusion through their connection. Though some of it might have been her own, if she were being honest.

“I'm having a child, but the father is nowhere to be seen.” she laughed nervously. “Must I always make terrible decisions?”

“But there was the photo...”

The moment the words left his lips, the vantage point shifted, and Hikari now found herself right in front of the nightstand, in perfect view of the wedding photo.

It was dark, the picture having been taken at night, but she could see the subjects clearly. She wanted to smack herself for not considering it earlier.

There was not a doubt in her mind. It was definitely she and-

The scene vanished with a snap, and she was wrenched back into reality. The Wizard pulled his hands from hers and she heard something clatter to the floor. She opened her eyes slowly, the now-violent morning light of the room making her eyes sting.

The Wizard stood frozen, his chair knocked to the ground, and stared at the crystal ball as though it had told him to completely reevaluate everything he thought he knew about the future.

Which it had.

Silence lapsed between them, and Hikari thought that maybe neither of them would say it. Maybe it would be better if they never did. That saying it would make it too real. That saying it would add a layer of complexity between them that they just weren't ready for.

Hikari propped her elbows on the table and rested her head on folded hands. If she let this go, she knew she'd never forgive herself. She was giddy, and her hands were shaking, but she tried to keep her voice steady. “I saw it,” she said without preamble. “and I know you did, too.”

“But... that was... I was-”

“My husband, right? That's what you saw, too?”

He nodded slowly, and took a deep breath. He placed his hands on the table, and closed his eyes. “I kept seeing myself there. So I started... to disregard those parts. I thought we were just... as we usually are. I thought if I kept going, I would find your husband.”

“I guess you found him.”

“I guess... I did.”

A year. It was only a year.

“Remember when I said... I would only tell you my true name?” the Wizard said, so softly Hikari had to strain her ears in order to make out his words.

“I remember.”

He opened his eyes with a deliberate slowness, and captured and held her gaze. His eyes were stunning, the mismatched colors so much brighter than she'd ever seen them. It took her breath away.

“Gale. My name is Gale.”

“Gale.” she repeated, tasting the word on her lips.

It spoke of coffee. Of surprise all-nighters and expensive gifts. It spoke of a love that went far beyond friendship, and of a future they hadn't known they wanted.

Again, she whispered, “Gale.”

He nodded, a slow smile creeping onto his face.

Anxiety and fear warred with overwhelming satisfaction, and his hands shook even as he thanked her. Thanked her for spending the night with him, thanked her for sharing in another cup of coffee, thanked her for a future together that hadn't yet come to pass.

Hikari just stood, walked around the table, and before he could protest, took Gale's hands into her own. Her hands were shaking, too.

“I need to get back to the farm. Seeing it like that earlier really has me motivated,” she whispered. Gale nodded, sadness creeping into his eyes as it did every time they had to part. “But, I would like some help carrying that telescope home.”

He raised an eyebrow, and she squeezed his hands, unable to look him directly in the eye. “You could set it up, uh, you know. Where it was. In the future.” even from the corner of her eyes she could see him smile. “It really was a nice house.”

“It was.” he echoed.

She reluctantly slid her hands from his and turned to face the door, and the future that lay beyond. “A year, huh?”

He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him, and retrieved the telescope and carefully slung it over his shoulder.

In a year, they would know if the simple act of viewing that future had doomed it... or ensured it.

Only a year.

Only a year, and he loved her already.

 

* * *

 

 


End file.
